e-Letter
January 13, 2021
Dear West View family
The phrase “Happy New Year” has seemed woefully inadequate as a greeting for a New Year filled with so much uncertainty, fear and hardship. Instead, I have found myself wishing people that their New Year would be a year of GRACE. Grace is God’s unearned and unconditional love at work in our lives. My prayer is that, regardless of what 2021 holds for you, you will experience that you are held in Grace. I also wish you a year of GROWTH. Disruption, dislocation and struggle always affords us the opportunity for growth in the fruits of the Spirit. May 2021 be a year of profound growth in your life. So I pray that 2021 will be, for you and those you love, a year of GRACE AND GROWTH in the power of the Holy Spirit
CONGREGATIONAL LIFE AT WEST VIEW
The maxim ‘hope for the best but plan for the worst’ served us well during 2020 and, in similar vein, we are planning congregational life on the assumption that we will have no onsite gatherings for at least the first quarter of 2021. Worship, Courses and Pastoral Care will all take place by email, social media and phone as they did during hard lockdown. This presents the opportunity for us to include and embrace people from a wide variety of locations. For example, one member of our weekly online Home Groups lives in Leicester, whilst one of this year’s online Disciple courses will be led from the Southern Cape. I encourage you to share opportunities for growth offered by West View with your friends and family wherever they may live, in the hope that the life change that God has called us to facilitate can spread far and wide. The more diverse our online study and home groups are, the richer our time together will be!
ONLINE GROUP LIFE AT WEST VIEW
This Sunday in online worship, Siphiwe will be inviting us to a renewed commitment to study and learning during 2021. We are finalising details of several online learning opportunities that will launch in coming weeks. I will email out details in a few days’ time. Until then, and assuming that data usage is not a problem for you, I invite you to consider whether God might be nudging you to enrol for one of the online groups that will be on offer. I also invite you to prayerfully consider who God is nudging you to invite to join you.
STAY INFORMED IN 2021 THROUGH OUR WHATSAPP NUMBER
If you’re not yet registered on our Whatsapp number, remember that you can receive daily devotions, newsletters and other updates through it. Click here for instructions on how to join.
ONLINE COVENANT RENEWAL SERVICE
Our annual Covenant Renewal Service will take place online on Sunday 24th January. We will be sharing in Holy Communion. Those living in Centurion are invited to collect consecrated Holy Communion elements from the church office during office hours for consumption during the worship service (8h00 – 12h00 Mon – Friday). To arrange for after-hours collection of consecrated communion elements from my home, please send me a Whatsapp (082 412 9056). Communion elements (wafer and grape juice) are in sealed pre-filled cups and are sanitised. Please make arrangements to collect consecrated elements by Friday 22nd January, for use during the Covenant Service on Sunday 24th January.
More important than collecting communion elements is your heart preparation for praying the words of the Covenant Prayer. Read through the Covenant Prayer prayerfully and carefully in preparation for worship:
CONDOLENCES
We extend our condolences to Hannes, Gillian and Jayden Coetzee on the passing of son and brother Jean-Pierre (JP) Coetzee, and to Geraldine, Jenny, Cathy, Allyson, Hannah, Jared and the rest of the family on the passing of husband, father and grandfather Andrew van Onselen. May your hope in the resurrection to eternal life, and your awareness of God’s strong presence with you, sustain you.
FINANCE MATTERS
Tithes and offerings during December were totalled R399 570, 11% behind budget. Fortunately, our giving for the previous 11 months carried the day, and we ended 2020 just R99 940 (1,9%) behind budget. Thank you for your ongoing and extravagant generosity!
CHRISTMAS OFFERING TOWARDS EPWORTH CHILDREN’S VILLAGE
Our Christmas Eve and Day offerings to support Epworth Children’s Village totalled R7 300. Thank you for your generosity towards ministry amongst vulnerable children.
In the service of God’s Kingdom
Ian